A blog about interestingness

Tag Archives: health

If you’ve ever seen Fox’s hit medical drama “House MD”:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412142/, you know that every installment is just an exercise in further improbability than the previous episode (a patient’s skull explodes in the most recent episode). But occasionally reality is just as strange. Near the end of the first season, House treats a malnourished baby whose vegan parents are unwittingly starving it by keeping the infant on the same strict diet as they are. I thought the whole thing was a bit contrived, but apparently not. Yesterday, Lamont Thomas and Jade Sanders, vegan parents, were convicted of gross neglect and sentenced to life terms in prison. As always, there’s more at “the BBC”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6642543.stm. Also if you’re interested, the episode in question was “season 1, episode 18”:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0606013/

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/info/index.jsp?categoryId=690482 from Dick's Sporting Goods.
Here are their general lacing tips for any layout:
* Make sure your laces are loose before you slip into the shoes. Doing this maintains the integrity of the eyelets and heel.
* Tighten your laces from the bottom (toe end) to top (ankle end), tightening gradually at each set of eyelets.
* Remember that a shoe with more eyelets allows you to create a more custom fit with lacing.

That’s right, the thing you thought was a sponge from the bottom of the ocean is actually a dried out vegetable and get this, you can grow one yourself!! Go check out this “how-to guide”:http://groovygreen.com/groove/?p=689 from “GroovyGreen.com”:http://groovygreen.com/ to find out how. SO COOL!!!

Here’s the reality, we need a better approach to contraception than the above comic. Seriously. A lot of guys have their own theories about how to avoid unwanted pregnancies, but ultimately it comes down to trust. Trust in partners on hormonal pills/rings, or trust on condoms. There are people out there researching ways for men to get a handle on the situation and “this article”:http://www.malecontraceptives.org/articles/gifford_article.php from Men’s Health magazine sums up the two best ideas so far.

# A Swiss physician working in India before independence developed and tested a regimen of routine VERY HOT 45-minute baths (116 degrees F) over 3 weeks that confuse sperm into immobility. Apparently this condition of temporary infertility can last for 6 months, but obviously it’s a bit more of an art than a science.
# Another trial going on in over-populated India is for a system called RISUG (reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance) which consists of injecting a polystyrene-based polymer into the vas deferens that chemically kills the sperm. The procedure can then be reversed by injecting harmless sodium bicarbonate, leaving the man completely fertile again.

The problem with both of the above simple solutions is that they are, well, simple. No pharmaceutical company will invest in something that is so cheap and effective. Where’s the profit potential. “MaleContraceptives.org”:http://www.malecontraceptives.org/ is a great resource for all sorts of information in the extremely slow-moving field of male birth control. If you know of any other good sites, please comment here and I’ll post them.

I don’t know where the hilarious comic above came from. If it’s your work or someone you know, tell me and I’ll properly cite it.

http://www.livingto100.com/ is a free tool you can use to generate a personalized health profile that tells you the do’s and don’ts for living longer. After a quick 10 minutes of answering ~60 questions about your lifestyle, ranging from dietary habits to drug use to flossing your teeth, Dr. Perls generates an estimated life expectancy, as well as ways to increase it. Although you have to suffer through a few poorly written “always-sometimes-never” questions and several limited response options, it is a quick and easy way to find out how long you have to find the perfect gravestone.
Thanks so much to Brian for the tip, the link, and the beginning of this article.

Adding to the theme that doing kid stuff is just plain good for you, “the Scotsman”:http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=506592007 reported a study released yesterday that suggests that a common soil bacteria plays a role in fighting depression. Apparently the bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae, has been shown to release seratonin in mice, a chemical linked to lower incidence of depression. Just like sleeping in and taking naps, science is suggesting that another of life’s pleasures commonly rejected by Purell-pumping soccer moms (getting dirty) is not only okay, but downright good for you. I love science.